“Although NASA’s Curiosity rover hasn’t yet confirmed the detection of organic compounds on Mars, it’s already seeing that the Red Planet’s soil contains water and more complex chemicals — including signs of an intriguing compound called perchlorate.

“The first soil sample analysis from Curiosity’s Sample Analysis at Mars lab, or SAM, was the leadoff topic today at the American Geophysical Union’s fall meeting in San Francisco. The findings were eagerly awaited because of rumors that the Curiosity team was on the verge of announcing major findings — and although NASA tamped down expectations, the scientists said they were overjoyed with the first round of analysis.”